TSA to ease pat-downs of kids

Children 12 years old and younger will soon be subject to less intrusive pat-down screenings at airport security checkpoints, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told Congress.

According to the new policy, kids will no longer be regularly required to remove their shoes at Transportation Security Authority airport screenings. The new policy also will include measures to screen young children without resorting to an intrusive pat-down of private areas on the body, according to The Associated Press.

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Napolitano said on Tuesday that the change would be implemented in the next few weeks, but the TSA later said the changes could be rolled out in just a few weeks.

The TSA plans to reduce the number of pat-downs given to children by asking screeners to send children through metal detectors, or to walk through imaging machines multiple times to capture a clearer picture. Other measures, such as using more explosive trace detection tools, will be used as well.

Napolitano said that these changes would not entirely eliminate the screening of children’s shoes. Some children may still be asked to remove their shoes to keep security random.

There will always be some unpredictability built into the system, and there will always be random checks even for groups that we are looking at differently, such as children,” Napolitano said.